


Shadowkeep

by SoulSlayer



Series: Changing Our Destiny - Season 2 (A Destiny AU) [5]
Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:35:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24662419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoulSlayer/pseuds/SoulSlayer
Summary: Fireteam Vanguard Rae and her Fireteam head back to the Moon for the first time in years to investigate odd Hive activity. But it quickly turns from a simple investigation mission to something more sinister…
Relationships: Cayde-6/Female Guardian (Destiny)
Series: Changing Our Destiny - Season 2 (A Destiny AU) [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1777495
Comments: 1
Kudos: 11





	1. Moon's Haunted

_It’s been a year since Prince Uldren and his Barons were killed at the hands of Rae and her Fireteam, and lot can happen in the span of a year. Rae has now been officially recognised as the Fireteam Vanguard, taking her duty of training newly formed Fireteams and keeping tabs on their missions very seriously. Of course, this hasn’t kept her from joining up with her own Fireteam for missions (much to the jealousy of a certain Hunter Vanguard). Speaking of Fireteam Paralight, Adam remains as Petra’s eyes in the Tower, often returning to report to her in the Dreaming City whenever he can. And as for Blaze, she’s currently competing with Marcia for Gambit’s top competitor and has even joined the Drifter’s crew, donning the nickname Dredgen Furno. Rae still doesn't fully trust the Drifter but bites her tongue as Gambit seems to make Blaze happy. But that aside, everything seemed to be peaceful once again in the Tower._

_But as Rae knows from experience, peace doesn’t last long._

* * *

“My Hunters have been trying to scout the area up there, but they’re not able to get far without being ambushed by a bunch of Thrall.”

“I’ve been revising the battle data I’ve received from all Fireteams that have return from the Moon. They all say the same thing: the Hive are more erratic than usual, scattered even, and they’re even more vicious than before. Especially the Thralls, who have seemed to grow in numbers.”

The four Vanguard stood around the meeting room table as books, files and maps relating to the Moon and the Hive were scattered about the table. “Some Fireteams are also reporting seeing strange red apparitions.” Rae continued as she flicked through a few pages of mission reports and battle data from different Fireteams, “When I first saw that, I thought maybe they were fatigued from the amount of fighting they had went through, but I’ve started to receive more of these reports from other Fireteams so I doubt that it’s simply hallucinations caused by tiredness and overworking themselves.”

“Interesting…” Zavala muttered as he scanned over the reports. “You think it’s another Hive god or somethin’?” Cayde asked. “I wouldn’t rule it out.” Ikora added. “If that’s the case, then I could round up my Fireteam and investigate.” Rae suggested, “We’ve had experience with two Hive gods, three in my instance. Should it be the case, we’re the most experienced to handle it.”

“Hmm…” Zavala seemed to think for a moment before nodding his head, “Very well. Gather your teammates and set a course for the Moon. I’ll brief the three of you when you’re in the air.”

“Aaand the extremely handsome Hunter that helped take down one of the Hive gods can go too, right?” Cayde added with a hopeful tone. “No. You’re to remain here and help sort out any further reports that come in.” Zavala replied. Cayde sighed as his shoulder’s slumped in disappointment. Sundance popped up beside him, “We die one time and suddenly the Vanguard wanna cover us in bubble wrap.”

“Don’t worry, Sunny. I’ll bring you back a souvenir.” Rae winked.

"Ooh! Can you get me a Thrall claw? They look super cool!"

"I'll try my best."

“Yay! Thanks, Rae!” Sundance chirped happily as she disappeared once more.

“You spoil her, you know that?” Cayde asked.

“Ramen on me when I get back?”

“You're the best!”

Rae laughed as Cayde threw his arms up excitedly. She gathered her files together and left the meeting room, “See you when I get back!”

* * *

“So tell me again why we’re going back to Hive Central?” Blaze asked as she, Rae and Adam approached their ships in the hanger, “Because I had no problem staying away for a few years and I still have no problem staying away from it now.”

“Relax, it’s just a quick investigation mission.” Rae reassured, “Kill some Hive and see what’s got them all riled up. In and out.”

“Fiiiiiiine…” Blaze groaned, “By the way, any of you seen Mars lately?”

“Yep. It’s just as Hive infested as the Moon and Titan. Why?” Adam replied.

“I mean Marcia."

"Oh. That's a confusing nickname."

"I guess you're right. Anyway, I haven’t seen her in Gambit recently and Drifter hasn’t seen her either.”

“If even Drifter doesn’t know where she’s at, she must be up to something.” Rae muttered, “We’ll work on that after this mission. For now, let’s hit the stars.”

The three Guardians transmatted onto their ships and took off into the sky, breaking through the planet’s atmosphere as Zavala was heard on their comms, “Fireteam Paralight, what is your status?”

“We are airborne and on route to the Moon.” Rae replied, “Awaiting mission briefing, Commander.”

“Anyone tell you you’ve become like 10 times more professional since you became a Vanguard? It’s weird. You’re starting to sound like Ikora.” Blaze’s voice rang through the comms. “Well, Ikora is her mentor so…” Adam added. Zavala was heard clearing his throat before continuing, “Good. Last night, we detected a seismic disturbance on the Moon. Within hours, it was swarming with Hive. This plague must not be allowed to spread. Await further orders upon arrival.”

“Yes, Commander.”

“Yes sir.”

“You got it, Commander Z!”

Rae, Blaze and Adam touched down on the Moon’s surface, guns at the ready. “Commander, we’ve arrived at the Lunar Battlegrounds. What’s our orders?” Rae spoke. “The Hive pour onto the surface of our Moon from the Keep. That is where our disturbance originated.” Zavala replied, “We will investigate, but first we must regain a lunar foothold. Whatever this is, we will not let the tragedies of our past repeat themselves.”

“Understood.” Rae turned to Adam and Blaze, “Find a vantage point and begin taking down the Hive. We can’t let them overwhelm us.”

“You got it.” Adam nodded, activating his helmet, “Nothing a rocket or two can’t handle.”

“As long as I don’t get to smell Thrall breath again, let’s do it!” Blaze threw up her hood and put on her mask. Rae followed suit and the three took separate positions on the lunar base as they began to push back the Hive.

* * *

“The Hive seem to be retreating.” Ghost spoke up as the Hive began running back towards a break in the cliffs. “Ha! Yeah, you better run!” Blaze called after them. “Commander, the reports are right.” Rae began, “These Hive are erratic. Scattered. I’ve never seen them like this.”

“They lack leadership. Crota’s death left a void they have yet to fill.” Zavala replied, “But the disturbance seems to have emboldened them. They must be stopped.”

“We’re on it.”

The Fireteam followed the retreating Hive through the cliffs until they reached a large red fortress. “Okay…that's new. Did the Hive do some redecorating while I was away?” Blaze stared at the fortress in a mix of awe and fear. "No, this is new to me too." Rae muttered, the sight of the fortress unnerving her. “The Hive are coming from that portal up ahead!” Adam pointed towards a large portal outside the fortress. “Well, let’s shut it down!” Rae replied, gliding upwards and throwing a solar grenade down at a group of incoming Thralls, “There seems to be six sigils, so we’ll take two each to cover more ground. When you have your two down, group up with whoever’s closest and help them.”

“On it."

“Roge- hey look, a tank!!”

"Oh Traveller..."

* * *

“Alright, despite nearly being blasted by Blaze's tank several times, we're clear.” Rae breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the portal closed, “Portal’s down, Commander.”

“Good work, Guardians.” Zavala replied, “Thanks to you, we’ll have an LZ up and running soon. In the meantime, press on towards the keep.” Rae turned to her Fireteam, “You heard the Commander. Let’s-”

“Guardians. There’s no time to lose.” Rae was cut off by Ikora’s voice coming through the comms.

“Ikora?”

“This ‘disturbance’ – I know what triggered it. Who triggered it. Eris Morn.”

“Eris is here? She disappeared before the Red War.” Rae muttered.

“I feel like I should be surprised, but…” Blaze began while looking at the large fortress and the bodies of Hive littered across the Moon’s surface before following Adam and Rae into the fortress. “Last I heard from her, she was headed into the Keep.” Ikora replied, “I don’t even know is she’s still-”

Ikora trailed off. “Don’t worry. We’ll find her.” Rae reassured, “Alive.”

After clearing out the surrounding Hive (and Blaze getting a bit trigger-happy in her tank), Fireteam Paralight finally made their way to the Keep. “Hey, Rae?” Adam began, “Sorry if this is classified or something, but were the Vanguard aware of what the Hive were up to before the disturbance.”

“We’ve been keeping an eye on their progress, but as for the purpose of the Scarlet Keep? No dice.” Rae replied, “I suggested it might be another Hive God, which is why Zavala sent us to check it out.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! You said this was just a short investigation! In and out!” Blaze argued.

“It is. We’re investigating if it’s another Hive God!”

“I hate you sometimes.”

“Love you too, Blaze.” Rae chuckled before contacting Ikora on her comm, “Ikora, why was Eris up here anyway? And how’d she cause this disturbance?”

“Eris came to me. She’d found evidence of something very old on the Moon.” Ikora began, “A potential threat to humanity. Eris insisted on going alone. Just a scouting mission, she said. And I let her.”

“What scouting mission takes over 2 years?” Blaze muttered.

“Eris is resilient. She’s proven that again and again. Often to her own detriment.”

“If anyone can take care of themselves, it’s Eris Morn.” Rae added, but was only met by static, “Ikora?”

“We lost her signal.” Ghost spoke up, “That’s strange”

“Makes sense.” Stormbringer added, we’ve travelled pretty far underground now.” Just as he said that, the group turned a corner in time to see a strange red object disappear into a wall. “What was that?!” Blaze exclaimed. “Red apparitions…” Rae muttered, “Just like the ones mentioned in the reports.”

“Hold up. Are you saying you got reports of ghosts down here? As is spirit-ghosts, not our ghosts?” Adam asked. “Oh, great!” Blaze threw up her hands in frustration, “The Moon’s haunted now! Just add that onto the long list of reasons to hate this place!”

“Shh! Do you want to attract more Hive?” Rae shushed, “Let’s just keep moving.”

* * *

“The source of our…disturbance…should be right around here.” Ghost explained as the Fireteam made their way through the tunnels, rounding a corner. “What in the worlds…?” Rae gasped. They arrived on a ledge overlooking what looked like a large black pyramid. “What…is that?” Ghost asked, “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Your guess is as good as mine, bud.” Rae replied, “It must be what Eris was after.” As the three Guardians made their way along the cliff face, Rae noticed the Ghosts seeming anxious, “Guys? Are you alright?”

“No. Something’s off…” Stormbringer replied. “Yeah, I feel funny…a bad kinda funny.” Firefly added. “It’s like someone – or something – is invading my Light.” Ghost finished. “Hang in there.” Rae reassured the three Ghosts, “We’re almost at that pyramid.” The Guardians arrived into a clearing on another ledge near the pyramid. “That…thing across the way. What is that?” Ghost asked, referring to a strange red glow near the edge. “I’ll go check it out.” Blaze volunteered. “Be careful.” Rae warned as the Hunter carefully made her way towards the glow. “Weird…there’s a super big energy spike here.” Firefly observed, “But it’s too heavy to get through.”

“Rae…I got a bad feeling about this.” Adam spoke, “Something’s not right here. I think we should leave.”

“We promised Ikora we’d find Eris first.” Rae replied, “We’ll find her and-”

**“RUN!!!”**

Rae was cut off by Blaze screaming. She whipped around to see Blaze running towards her, a terrified expression on her face, as she was being chased by…Crota?

“Wait, Crota?!” Adam exclaimed, “But he’s dead!”

“Fall back! Fall back now!!!” Rae yelled as more Hive sprung up out of nowhere along with…Fikrul and Ghaul?! “Fall back where?! We’re trapped!” Blaze yelled as she narrowly missed a swing from Crota. As the three enemies came charging towards the Guardians…

_**“Ģ̸̵̵̢͎̜̫̬̱̗̹̳̙̋͛ͤ̾͌u̶̡͍̹͉͕̝̣͚̿̏̂́ͩͧ͌ͤͬ̓ͨ͂̂͐̃ͧ̅ͭ̅͠ͅa̛͍̻͇͙͚̹̯̔̎͗̏̍͌̿̑͊̈́͜r̸̗̞̼̱͍̫͚̤̳̫͙̗̬͓͆͛̌ͤͧ̎͡d̴̫̩̺͕̬̪̭̈́̓͊̏͟ͅͅi̷̸̶̩̰̲͉̞̭̝̠̤̥̦̞͔̜͙̇̆̃̾ͮ̏̀̎ͅͅā̛͉͍̺̦̗̟͓̯͈ͮ̓ͪ̅͛́̆̓͛̔ͨ̄ͩ̌͝n̢̟̬̘͚̝̬̣̭̫͇̥̙͑ͥ͒̊͐̀͞s̸̶̢̠̥̯͉̟͐̍̂ͣͮ̊̃̄͢,̵̡̡͇̠͎̺̺̖̙̪̥̱̠͚͓̝̮̝̀̂̈ͤ̓ͧ͠ ̶̡̘̫̤̫̪̞͖̜̙ͥͧͮ͗ͨ̿͑c̸̹͇̭̠̥͓̺̭̯͎̱̈ͨ̓̑̈́͜͠o̅̓ͫ͌̾ͤ͊̕ṁ̧̤̞̻͓̟͙͙̙͚̰̎͌̏ͦ͆͟ͅe̦͖͖̭̣͕͉̮̼͉̠͎̭̖̱̺̺̯̊̂̒̓̒ͥͯͦ͂͐̓̓̇̄̀̚͢͝ͅ…̭͔̼̺̺̝̬ẃ̶̨͔̜͕̜̳̘̌̒̍̇͋͋ͫ̇ͧ̄͡i̵̛̞͕̻̫̥̘̯̯͇̦̞ͤ͒̈͗͆͗̇̑̓̈̿̇͆͘͜͠t̡̛͉͔̘̹̭̘̟̟͎͒ͬ̌̋̍̈́ͦ͌͘͜h̷͉̙̣͓ͬͪ͗́ͬ͝…m̨͙͇̩̦̈́ͩ̾̆̓̔͒̑́̒ͫͦ͊ͨͣ̽̀ͥ̕͟e̷̴̴̦̭̠̟͓̩̳̦̱̦͔̥ͥ͋ͬ̃̀̌͂͒́͘!̻̱͔̤̥̮̪̘́̏ͦ̔̕͝”** _

“That voice…Er-!”

Before Rae could finish her sentence, there was a flash of light and the Guardians found themselves on another ledge with Eris Morn standing back turned to them by the edge. “Eris Morn…” Rae began as the three walked towards her. Rae noticed one of the red apparitions floating beside Eris but tried to ignore it. “What is that Pyramid?” Adam asked. “You’ve heard the stories. Of the Traveller’s sacrifice.” Eris began, “Of Darkness descending upon humanity. Before us lies a dark remnant of their existence. Was it struck down by the Traveller? Left here on purpose? The truth is ours to discover.”

“I’m almost afraid to ask…” Blaze began, “But discover how?” Eris turned to face the Guardians - Rae could have sworn she saw a smirk on her face, “We find a way inside.”

“Eris?” A voice called out, causing Eris and Fireteam Paralight to turn towards a nearby entrance as a certain rogue Nightstalker Hunter walked out, “When you start chanting stuff, I get concerned. What in the name of Light are you-?” Marcia stopped in her tracks upon seeing the group in front of her, her gaze switching between Rae, Blaze, Adam and Eris.

“Son of a Nightmare Thrall…”

_To Be Continued…_


	2. Lunar Lunacy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rae and friends have teamed up with Marcia and Eris to help figure out the secrets of the mysterious Pyramid beneath the Moon’s surface. Also don’t high-five a Minotaur, kids.

“I wanna be surprised by this…but whenever there’s trouble, you three aren’t far behind.”

As they arrived back on the Moon's surface, Marcia conversed with Rae and her Fireteam, “Though I really hoped you wouldn’t be here.”

“Well considering the seismic activity, the Hive acting up, strange Fireteam reports, and Ikora asking us to find Eris, it’s kinda hard to not investigate.” Rae replied. “Why are you here anyway?" Blaze asked, "I've missed kicking your butt in Gambit."

“Ha! In your dreams, Hothead.” Marcia laughed, “Anyway, the reason I’m up here is because the fact that these phantoms started popping up on the Moon around the same time my powers started acting up can’t be a coincidence. I refuse to believe that. If this is my chance to get answers, I’ll take it."

“Speaking of, does anyone want to explain what’s happening up here?” Adam asked, “We’re still kinda in the dark here, no pun intended. Why is Ghaul, Fikrul and Crota here?”

“It is not them.” Eris replied, “They are living nightmares – your own past confronting you. Old scars reopen around me as well.” Eris shot a glance at the phantom behind her, “Phantoms of my friends return with a malice they never truly had. Every one of them, the twisted will of that looming Pyramid. We must not let it distract us from our goal: finding a way inside.”

“I dunno if you felt it,” Marcia began, “But that Pyramid reeks of Darkness. The power to Take is created from Darkness, so I figured it’s the best place for answers.”

“Were you and Nox not affected by the Pyramid? Our it was messing with our Ghosts.” Blaze asked. “Welp, I guess I can tell ya.” Marcia shrugged, Nox appearing at her side, “You know how Drifter made alterations to his Ghost so it could handle his Darkness? I did the same with Nox. His initial modifications were shabby and made of whatever I could find in the wilds. But I perfected it later on as you can see.”

“The results of the modifications turned my eye pink, unlike Jade’s which turned red.” Nox added, “Jade is what Marcia and I call Drifter’s Ghost…even if he doesn’t really like it.”

“Drifter or his Ghost?” Adam asked. “Anyway.” Marcia interrupted, “Because Nox is made to handle Darkness from me, it didn’t affect him.”

“Well we still need to find a way in, right?” Rae began, “What’s first?”

“The Pyramid’s warding is only a temporary inconvenience. We must first understand how it works if we’re to pass through it.” Eris explained, “For that, the Hive may provide answers. For eons, they’ve lived next to the Pyramid. And now they’ve constructed that Scarlet Keep above it. It’s existence was clearly no secret to them.”

“You gotta admit, though, they’ve got some impressive architectural skills for a bunch of creepy, vicious weirdos.” Marcia added. “Now that it’s activated, strange congregations of Hive have begun to appear on the Moon.” Eris continued, “There is undoubtedly a connection.”

“Then that’s where we sta-” Rae was cut off by Marcia running past her and hopping on her Sparrrow. “Race you punks to Sorrow’s Harbour!” she called behind her as she sped off. “You’re on, old lady!” Blaze smirked as Firefly summoned her Guardian’s Sparrow and Blaze went speeding after her, Rae and Adam following suit.

* * *

**“I’VESOMANYREGRETSTHISWASNOTAGOODIDEATRAVELLERDAMNTHRALLS!!!”**

“Blaze, what is the number one rule I always say when dealing with Thrall?! There’s. Never. Just. One!!”

Rae sniped Thralls from her position on a nearby cliff as Blaze was caught in a Benny-Hills-style chase with a swarm of Thralls. Meanwhile, Adam and Marcia were busy dealing with a Knight and some Acolytes. “I got it.” Marcia sighed, removing her crystal earring and summoning a Taken Minotaur.

**“K̪͎̯͖̞͉̺i̫̼l̠̳͖̅̒͗ͤ̓͒ͅl͔͚̼ͧͥ͛ ̥͚̙̝̯̫͎t̎̑͌͒̂ͪͮh͎̩̗̮̬͕̘͆̑ͣ͗̕ė̼͈̺̤͆ͥ ̸͖̟͎̟̱̭̮͐̇ͨ̍H̯̮̿̒̀ͣ̋̎̚í̗̟͙ͣͩ̍ͬ̿͒vͭ͐ͨ͌ͩ̌̆ę̹̟̭͛͐ͬͧͯ.̅̎̈́͜”**

Marcia motioned towards the Hive as she gave the Taken Vex the order. The Taken wasted no time in sprinting towards the Thrall, blasting at them. “Whoo!” Marcia heard Blaze whoop through the comms, “Nice going, Taken buddy! High five!”

“Ah, Blaze! That’s not a good id-!” Before Marcia could warn the Awoken Hunter, she saw a Blaze go flying over her head and into the back of an Acolyte, knocking it to the ground. “Okay…” Blaze grunted painfully as she got to her feet, “High fiving a Minotaur…not a good idea…”

“Ghost, please tell me you recorded that!” Rae giggled.

“Already sending it to Cayde.” Ghost chuckled.

“Nice!”

Adam helped Blaze to her feet as Marcia contacted Eris on her comm, “Eris, it’s the Nightmares. The Hive are trying to draw them in for some sort of ritual.”

“How curious…” Eris muttered, “For what purpose?”

“Not sure. They don’t seemed to be fazed at all by the Nightmares though, unlike us.”

“Fascinating. We must learn how they’ve achieved that. That’s our key to finding a way beyond the Pyramid’s war-”

Eris was suddenly cut off by an ear-piercing screech ringing through the comms, causing all four Lightbearers to cover their ears in agony. “Eris?! Eris what’s happening?!” Marcia called into the comms. “That scream is way too familiar.” Rae groaned, recovering from the ringing sensation in her ears, “That’s a Hive Wizard!”

“We need to head back. Now!” Marcia ordered as the she and Fireteam Paralight hopped back on their Sparrows and sped back towards the sanctuary.

Upon arriving, Marcia noticed a second phantom floating by Eris, “Looks like Eris reunited with another friend…yay…”

Eris turned upon hearing the four Lightbearers approach, “Sai Mota screams as she did the day Omnigul tore her apart and silenced her forever. Our fates nearly intertwined today when a Nightmare of Omnigul swept through camp. My survival was a gift, granted by the Essence you retrieved from the Crota Nightmare.”

“The Essence helped you?” Adam asked, “Do you think we could use it in some way?”

“I believe it could provide aid in the fight against the Nightmares – and beyond, to the Pyramid itself.” Eris replied, “It knows we’re coming. I can sense it. And we will have the upper hand.”

“So let’s gather more of that Essence. See if we can utilise it.” Marcia suggested, “Anyone have any ideas how we do that?”

“In the depths of the Hellmouth, my very soul was shattered into pieces.” Eris began, “It was all I could do to try and pick them up again. But some pieces, as you can see, required replacing. I must call upon one of them now – an ancient Talisman imbued with the magic of the Hive. Without it, the true power of the Nightmare Essence could not be harnessed. Through their union, we take our first step toward unearthing the secrets of the Pyramid. But it is only a step.”

“A step forward nonetheless.” Rae smiled.

“True. But further Essences require further Hive magic, neither of which I possess. Acquire both, and our path to the Pyramid should present itself.”

“That’s some good alliteration there!” Blaze chuckled. Eris just stared at the Hunter. “What? Path, Pyramid, present. Alliteration! Not working for ya?” Blaze shrugged.

“Let’s just, uh…go find the Talisman.” Rae smiled nervously as she went back to her Sparrow along with Adam and Marcia. “I think her sense of humour shattered down there too.” Blaze muttered to herself as she followed the others.

_To Be Continued…_


	3. Eclipse of the Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fireteam Paralight, with Marcia somewhat-officially joining the team, take on Nightmare Omnigul before heading towards the Scarlet Keep. Hunters are thrown, Vanguards get called fools, and Hive dream of creepy sheep.

“Blind devotion is a dangerous thing, but when it came to Crota, Omnigul knew no other way.”  
As the four teammates sped across the Moon’s surface towards the Temple of Crota, Eris spoke to them through their comms, “She raised for him an army of Hive and tore apart throngs of Guardians.”  
“Did she have a thing against underwear or something?” Blaze asked. “Throngs! Not tongs!” Marcia corrected – she would’ve facepalmed if she wasn’t driving her Sparrow. “Please continue, Eris.” Rae sighed at the craziness of her allies – something one would think she’d be used to after 5 years. “Omnigul left much suffering in her wake. Suffering the Pyramid now uses against us.” Eris continued, seeming unfazed by Blaze’s earlier comment, “It expects us to fall to that which we have conquered. Not today.”  
“Yeah! We beat these guys once; we can do it again!” Blaze grinned. “I actually noticed something about the three enemies we faced when we first approached the Pyramid.” Adam noted, “Ghaul, Crota, and Fikrul. Think about it. Each one has a connection to us. Rae was the one to defeat Ghaul when everyone else lost their Light. I dealt the final blow to Crota after you two were taken out. And finally, Blaze defeated Fikrul after learning what he and the Barons did to Cayde.”  
“And Eris had her former team…” Rae added, “But if that’s the case…wouldn’t that mean Marcia has a Nightmare here too?”  
“Heh, please!” Marcia scoffed, “Ever since I got this stupid Taken power, my life’s been a living nightmare. There’s nothing this dumb Pyramid can throw at me that’s worse than what I’ve already been through. That or the Darkness inside me makes me immune to its effects or somethin’. I dunno. Either way, I’m not too worried.”  
“We’re here.” Nox piped up as the four Lightbearers approached the temple, which was surrounded by Hive. “Shall we?” Blaze asked.  
“Hotheads first.” Marcia smiled.  
“Age before beauty.”  
“No pain, no gain!”  
“What pain- **WHOA!!!** ”  
Marcia summoned a Taken Knight that picked up Blaze and threw her at the Hive. Marcia burst into laughter as Blaze quickly got to her feet and began shooting the Hive while dodging blasts from a nearby Ogre, “Haha!!! Oh man, I’ve always wanted to do that!!!” Marcia laughed, “Now let’s go find Omnigul and silence that witch!” Marcia charged into the fray alongside the Knight she summoned and the rest of the team.  
  


* * *

  
“Aww, c’mon! You’re not still mad!”  
“Yes, I am!! Who throws their teammate into a swarm of Hive?!”  
“Technically, the Taken Knight did it. Not me.”  
Rae just sighed as she listened to the two Hunters argue. The four had just defeated the Nightmare Omnigul and Blaze was still angry at Marcia for her little stunt. Rae shook her head before contacting Eris, “Eris, the Nightmare of Omnigul is taken care of. For now, anyway.”  
“Did you retrieve any further Essence?”  
“We did.” Ghost spoke up, “This time unique to this Nightmare.”  
“I see. Then we will uncover its secrets together. Until then, the Hive await you inside the Scarlet Keep. Let me know what you find within.”  
“Roger that.” Rae turned to the two bickering Hunters, “Hey! When you’re done, we’re headed to the Keep next.”  
“You the boss.” Marcia shrugged as she walked away from the angry Awoken. Blaze sighed in defeat as she followed suit and the four began walking back through the temple towards the surface. "That reminds me," Blaze began, "You're on this mission with us right? And have helped us out with the House of Light."

"Last time I checked." Marcia replied simply, "Why?"

"Does this mean you're a member of Fireteam Paralight now?"

Rae glanced over her shoulder and tilted her head at Marcia, as if to say 'Your choice'. Marcia seemed to think for a brief moment before shrugging, "Y'know what? Sure! Gives me somethin' to do in my spare time. But don't go expecting me to do whatever you or the Vanguard say. The moment our interests diverge, I'm out."

"Deal." Rae smiled behind her helm before returning to focusing on the path ahead.  
  
  


* * *

  
“Ugh…I didn’t think the Hive could make a place that’s creepier than Crota’s temple!” Blaze groaned as she and the rest of the Fireteam fought through Hive inside the Scarlet Keep, “Why do we need to go in here again, Eris?”  
“Potent energies are radiating from the Scarlet Keep and its grand tower. Power as I’ve never felt.” Eris replied, “Foul rituals are doubtlessly underway inside…and, if we’re fortunate, the Hive magic we need to create more armour. Move quickly but carefully, Guardians.”  
“I thought the Hive preferred their strongholds underground.” Nox spoke, “Why build a tower?”  
“It was thought to be ceremonial in nature. The Vanguard monitored its construction but had ‘more pressing concerns’. Fools.”  
“Hey!” Rae yelled in protest, narrowly dodging a swipe from a Thrall, as Marcia stifled a laugh before firing her sub-machine gun at an Acolyte. “The energy spilling from the tower suggests another purpose: I believe it amplifies Hive magic.” Eris continued, “This may be where the Hive achieve their immunity to the Pyramid’s influences.”  
“What do you think Hive have nightmares about?” Adam asked as he fired a blast from his rocket launcher, “Creepy bug sheep?”  
“Probably us wiping them out!” Blaze smirked as she dealt the final shot to a Hive Knight. “Let’s keep pressing forward.” Rae called out as she finished off a group of Thralls, “We’re almost at the tower.”  
  
The Fireteam made their way to a large bridge leading to the Tower when Rae spotted something floating above the bridge, “Is anyone else seeing this?”  
“Wait, it that-?” Ghost began before contacting Eris, “Eris. We got eyes on a Daughter of Crota.”  
“It’s Hashladûn. It must be. Only she could be responsible for the Keep’s emanations.” Eris replied, “She was presumed dead after Crota’s fall. If she’s alive…if she’s here…the Hive’s designs are dark indeed. Whatever rituals are underway in the tower must be stopped. And Hashladûn must be eliminated.”  
Rae watched as Hashladûn disappeared and more Hive appeared on the bridge, “Welp…like I said. Press forward.”  
“Ugh! I’m really getting sick of the Hive!” Blaze groaned. “Hi’ve gotten sick of them too.” Marcia smirked. “Okay, stop!” Blaze frowned, “Only Rae, Cayde and I can make terrible puns!”  
Rae sighed as she thought to herself, _‘Since when did I get downgraded from Fireteam Leader to Hunter Babysitter?’_  
  
_To Be Continued…_


	4. To Hellmouth & Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fireteam Paralight head down to the Catacombs inside the Hellmouth to find a Cryptoglyph. Will they make it out alive or meet the same fate as Eris’s former Fireteam?

As four Sparrows arrived in the Sanctuary, Blaze practically flopped off her Sparrow with an exhausted sigh, “I wanna get off this rock…that fight was a nightmare!”  
“Ha…pun intended?” Marcia chuckled, trying to mask her own exhaustion. As Rae got off her own Sparrow, she noticed that there was now three Phantoms beside Eris now. “We’re back.” Rae announced as she approached Eris, trying to ignore the looming Phantoms, “And we’ve successfully killed Hashladûn.”  
“This is a relief to hear. But Hashladûn’s presence is no coincidence.” Eris began, “The Hive must have grander ambitions for the Pyramid’s influences.”  
“She had a tablet on her,” Ghost said as he appeared beside Rae, “One that describes a Cryptoglyph. I have no record of such an item.”  
“That is precisely the information we came here for.”  
“Oh good.” Rae and Eris turned to see the rest of the Fireteam approach as Blaze spoke, “Glad to know the back pain of that Ogre trampling on me was worth it.”  
“Actually, that wasn’t a Hive Ogre. That was one of mine.” Marcia grinned apologetically, “My bad.”  
“Seriously?!” Blaze exclaimed. “In my defence, it wasn’t on purpose this time!” Marcia held up her arms in defence, “My power surged again and summoned it by itself.”  
“Curious…” Eris muttered before shaking her head, “But a discussion for another time. The Pyramid trembles under the weight of our progress. With every victory, we draw closer to conquering it.”  
As Eris continued, Blaze went into her vision state again. Nobody noticed it except for Marcia, who gave her a quizzical look as Blaze shook out of her trance-like state while muttering, “Stop showing me this. I get it, so knock it off.” Marcia pretended she wasn’t looking at Blaze as she turned her attention back to Eris. “We now know what the Hidden Swarm have been using to shield themselves from the Nightmares – and where it lies.” Eris continued, “The Cryptoglyph. If ever there was a more powerful set of runes the Hive use to conjure their magics, I have yet to learn of it…Of course, to acquire it, we must delve into horrific depths.”  
An audible groan was heard from Blaze.  
“Our Cryptoglyph lies…at the bottom of the Hellmouth.”  
An even louder groan was heard from Blaze.  
“No doing Sparrow tricks over the Hellmouth this time, Blaze.” Rae added.  
A groan so loud, it could be heard in the Tower, was heard from Blaze.  
Marcia chuckled as she watched Blaze trudge back to her Sparrow. “You’re a sadist sometimes, you know that?” Adam noted. “I know.” Marcia grinned as she headed towards her own Sparrow.  
  


* * *

  
“Alright Eris, we’re here.” Rae said as she and the rest of Fireteam Paralight arrived at the edge of the Hellmouth, “Where to?”  
“The Catacombs. Somewhere within that Hive-infested labyrinth lies our Cryptoglyph.” Eris replied, “If we hope to go beyond the Pyramid’s warding, we must retrieve it. But be warned: Those who enter the rotting depths of the Catacombs often fail to return…In that tomb, light does not find a way.”  
“Thanks for the confidence boost…” Blaze muttered. “Well, let’s head inside and hope we’re the lucky few who return.” Rae smiled, trying to keep up an optimistic outlook on the situation. “We do tend to be lucky when it comes to these things.” Adam added. “Well let’s hope that luck of yours hasn’t run out.” Marcia noted as she began to head inside, the others following suit.  
  
As the team made their way further into the Hellmouth, Rae hopped on the comms, “Hey Eris? Anything we should know about these Catacombs. Doesn’t seem all too wise of us heading in there blind.”  
“Never are the Catacombs unmanned,” Eris replied, “As they play host to the most potent of Hive magics – including our Cryptoglyph. We know not what the Hive plan to do with power as dangerous as this. But they must not find success. The dark rituals of the Hive pose a threat we can’t currently afford to face. If their goals align with ours, it is of the utmost importance they be halted immediately.”  
“You can count on-”  
 **“GYAH!!”**  
Rae jumped as Blaze let out a surprised yell, “What? What’s wrong?”  
“I saw a shadowy thing crawl by right in front of me!” Blaze exclaimed. “I didn’t see anything.” Marcia said with a raised eyebrow. “Me neither.” Adam added, “I think the stress is getting to you.”  
“So when I see something, I’m stressed. But when you see a ‘sea monster’ on Titan, you’re perfectly sane?”  
“Because I know I saw it.” Adam argued, “I saw it three times while I was there!”  
“Can we not argue about this again?” Rae asked, “Let’s just keep moving.”  
Albeit hesitant, Blaze followed the rest of her Fireteam further into the Catacombs. “Though I’ll say this much…” Rae began, “This place gives me the creeps.”  
“It was within these depths that Crota and his brood stripped me of all that I cared for – my Fireteam…my friends.” Eris began, “Only I remained, beaten and broken.”  
“We’ll end this,” Rae reassured, “And make sure your friends can rest peacefully.”  
“…thank you.” Eris replied, her voice slightly softer than usual before returning to its usual tone, “The guilt of survival lingers…but you must not. Onwards.”  
The Fireteam made their way through a series of tunnels. “Aww, look at the wormy boys!” Blaze cooed as they stumbled across a group of small Hive worms. “How you find these things cute is beyond me.” Rae shook her head. “Y’know Drifter always wanted a pet Hive.” Marcia spoke up as she poked one of the worms with the barrel of her sub-machine gun, “He keeps asking me to summon a Taken version of these lil’ guys, but no can do.”  
“Why not?” Blaze asked as they continued down the tunnels. “I can only summon Taken that already exist – temporarily controlling their will until I dismiss them, or until they’re destroyed. I don’t have the power to Take like Oryx had. And since Oryx never took one of these worms, I can’t summon them.”  
“So if all the Taken were destroyed somehow…” Rae began. “My power would be useless or would disappear.” Marcia finished, “That being said, feel free to figure out how to destroy them. It’d make my life a bit easier, even if being able to summon Taken is cool.”  
  
As the Fireteam exited the tunnels, they saw the Pyramid looming nearby. “My Light…It’s happening again.” Ghost shuddered. “Focus.” Eris began, “The Pyramid distracts, nothing more. When you have the Cryptoglyph in hand, I will teleport you out.”  
“Hang in there buddy…” Rae reassured, “We’ll try to get through this as fast as possible.” The Fireteam charged ahead, fighting back a number of Hive before arriving at a bridge which had countless Phantoms floating around it. “More Phantoms…just like those haunting Eris.” Ghost noted, as the Guardians made their way across the bridge, “Faceless Guardians watching us.”  
“Remember what Eris said.” Nox spoke up, “Nothing more than a distraction.”  
“I have eyes on the Cryptoglyph!” Blaze called out as they reached the other side of the bridge, “Let’s grab it!”  
“On it!” Marcia replied as she sprinted for it. “Wait!” Rae yelled, “It might be a-!”  
Before Rae could finish, Marcia was pushed back by a green forcefield of Hive magic as Wizards, Thralls, Acolytes and Knights began spawning all around them. “Trap.” Rae finished with a sigh before summoning her Dawnblade and began unleashing waves of fire towards the incoming Thralls.  
  


* * *

  
“Forcefield’s down!” Rae called out as she saw the green energy flicker and fade away. “I got it!” Blaze yelled as she leapt up to the altar and grabbed the Cryptoglyph, “Score!”  
“Eris, we have the Cryptoglyph!” Rae called into her comm, “Teleport us out.”  
No response.  
“Eris? Are you there?”  
Nothing.  
Rae watched more and more Hive appeared around her as she heard Ghost’s tired but desperate voice in her ear.  
  
“Run!”  
  
 _To Be Continued…_


	5. Darklight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being cut off from Eris, Fireteam Paralight must escape the Hellmouth before they're torn apart by the Hive.

“Run!”

Hive began to swarm towards the Fireteam. “Fall back! We gotta get out of here!!!” Rae yelled as she and her Fireteam sprinted as fast as they could back across the bridge past the Phantoms and through the Catacombs, dodging the incoming fire. “Don’t stop! Whatever happens, keep moving!!” Marcia yelled as they dashed through the tunnels. Rae used her Scorch and Solar Grenades to clear a way through incoming Thralls while Adam used his rocket launcher and Blaze used her grenade launcher to blast away Acolytes, Knights and Wizards. “Almost there!” Rae called out, as they approached a large stairway, “Keep pushing!” There was a gap between the ground and the stairway that Marcia, Blaze and Adam were able to jump across and keep sprinting forward but when Rae jumped across, her foot caught the edge which caused her to trip forward. Blaze heard Rae fall behind her and spun around to go back, but she was too far ahead to get there in time. Rae heard the screeches of the Hive quickly catching up behind her and squinted her eyes shut, bracing for the incoming pain of being ripped apart and praying that Ghost would be able to revive her.

But the pain never came.

Instead, she heard the pained screeches of Thralls. She opened her eyes in time to see silver light beginning to fade. Standing in front of her was Marcia. But she had a pair of silver wings with black markings and an eerie dark aura emanating from them and matching horns emanating from her head. In her hand was a large periwinkle, black and silver staff with a periwinkle gem encased in a silver casing, the hunter symbol near the bottom of the staff and an illustration black serpent-like dragon curled around the main part of the staff. Marcia turned slightly so her face was facing Rae. Her sclera were pitch black – glowing with the same eerie darkness – with silver pupils. Her bangs and Paralian mark were also silver and her scars were emanating the same dark glow. “Stay back.” She muttered before slamming the bottom of the staff on the ground, causing a large blade – similar to her wings – to appear from the top, forming a large scythe. Marcia let out an agitated and pained roar as she slashed at the incoming Hive, that had been temporarily pushed back by the sudden bright light, striking many of them down with each swing. “Rae!” Rae felt herself being hoisted to her feet by Blaze and Adam. “Are you okay?!” Blaze exclaimed; voice filled with worry. “Y-yeah! I’m okay.” Rae replied, shaken. Adam looked at Marcia who was taking on a Hive Knight and a group of Thralls, “Wait…is that…?”

“Yeah…” Rae replied, “I think that’s Starlight. But something’s off about it…”

Marcia dealt the final blow to the Knight, but saw even more Hive coming towards her. “Go!” Marcia yelled as she turned back towards the Fireteam. Rae nodded as they four of them ran up the stairway, Marcia using her silver wings to fly ahead but not too far as to make sure the Hive didn’t catch the others.

As they reached the top, Rae turned around and noticed that the Hive have stopped chasing them. She breathed a sigh of relief, but the moment was cut short as Marcia suddenly collapsed to the ground, her form reverting to normal. “Ugh…dammit…” Marcia groaned weakly as she tried and failed to get up, “I forgot how freaking painful that is…”

“Are you alright?” Rae asked crouching beside her. “Aside from the fact that all my energy just got sucked out all at once,” Maria began, “I’m pretty good!” Marcia tried to laugh, but it quickly turned into a series of coughs. “Are you sure? Starlight never caused me to end up like this…” Rae noted. “Well except the first time when you got knocked out afterwards.” Blaze added. Marcia raised an eyebrow as she looked up at Rae, “You’re a Starlight?”

“Yeah. Wait, that’s the actual name?” Rae asked, “I thought I made it up.”

“Figures…” Marcia muttered before letting out another groan in pain, “I hate to ask…but can someone give me a hand? I literally can’t move.”

“I got her.” Adam volunteered as he picked up Marcia and placed her over his shoulder, “Blaze, you still have the Cryptoglyph, right?”

“Yup. Firefly’s been keeping it safe.” Blaze nodded.

“Guardian?”

Rae’s face lit up as Eris’s voice was heard in the comms, a mix of panic and worry in her voice – something uncommon to hear from Eris. “Eris! We’re here. We got the Cryptoglyph.” Rae reassured.

“I thought you’d…I’m sorry.” Eris apologised, “The immense darkness of the Pyramid kept me from you.”

“It’s ok. We’re all alive, thanks to Marcia. She saved us.”

Marcia chuckled weakly, “Eh…was nothin’. You guys did most of the work…”

“Good. With the Cryptoglyph in hand, we stand a chance against the Pyramid. Bring it here and let us make use of it.”

“On our way.” Rae replied, before turning to her Fireteam, “Let’s head back up top and go back to Sanctuary. Marcia, you can ride with me on my Sparrow if you want.”

“Thanks.” Marcia smiled, “I don’t have the strength to do anything right now, honestly.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Three Sparrows made their way across the grey surface of the Moon, Rae going slower than usual to make sure Marcia wouldn’t fall off since she could barely even hold on to Rae. “So…” Marcia began, her voice a little stronger now, “You probably have some questions about Starlights then?”

“A few, yeah.” Rae replied.

“Well, how much do you already know?”

“Well, I was able to use my power whenever I think about the people I want to protect. I first used it in the Black Garden and then again in the Dreaming City. I looked similar to you – wings, horns and all – but mine were gold and white. I also used a sword - a falchion I think. That’s all really.”

“I see.” Marcia began, “Well first off, that sword is called Paragon’s Fang. A blade able to amplify the user’s Light and is incredibly damaging to creatures of Darkness. Each one of the Paralian tribes has a warrior that is born with incredible abilities and powers that are called Starlights. Said to be gifted with the abilities of the first 6 Paralians They each have a weapon representing the tribe they came from. Tribe Eye had a crystal that allowed the user to predict an enemy’s next move so they could counter or dodge it. Tribe Horn had a dagger that enhanced the user’s speed to the point where they were barely visible to the naked eye, however the ability could only be used for a little while at a time, otherwise it could be harmful to the user’s body. Tribe Tail had a whip that could grapple onto enemies and could perform many elemental-based feats like shock them with electricity, burn them with fire, drain their energy with Void or even freeze them solid with ice. Tribe Scale had a shield that could nearly block any attack and any attack that hit it, the shield would absorb and send the damage right back when used to hit an enemy.”

“Whoa…” Rae gasped in awe as Marcia continues, “And then there’s mine – a scythe. It can make its user immune to the effects of the Darkness. But also, while it can’t physically hurt any creature of Light – like Guardians – it can temporarily disable their Light. Only for a few minutes though, then it comes right back. And I already told you about your weapon.”

“So if you hit me with the Scythe…” Rae began. “You wouldn’t be able to use your super, your Solar Grenade, your Celestial Fire, your healing rift, or even your own Paralian abilities, since they're made of Light too.” Marcia finished.

“There’s one thing I don’t get though.” Blaze began, “Rae’s form was gold and white, but yours was silver and black. Is it different for each tribe or…?”

“Nope.” Marcia replied with a sigh, “Just another effect of my good ol’ Taken powers. Since my Light is corrupted, my form looks different. I like to call it ‘Darklight’. My Darkness is also why I collapsed afterwards. Since my scythe makes me immune to Darkness, it comes back at full force when I dismiss my form and it hurts like hell, draining all energy from me. So I try not to use it too often. But you punks needed me, so I was willing to risk it.”

“Thank you.” Rae smiled.

“Like I said, was nothin’.”

“I mean it. If you hadn’t have stepped in, I would’ve died back there. You saved my life. Thank you, Marcia.”

Marcia gave a small smile, “Well…we’re the last of our kind. We gotta look out for each other.” Marcia’s smirk returned, “Even if one of us is a mega snitch.”

“Oh, I’ve been promoted to mega snitch, have I? Do I get a medal? A little badge?” Rae joked.

“Nah, but you do get a different award – your butt kicked by yours truly once I get my strength back.”

“You? Kick my butt? In your dreams!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fireteam Paralight gently pulled up to the Sanctuary as Rae got off her Sparrow and helped Marcia off, “Can you stand?”

“I think so.” Marcia replied as she shakily stood on both legs, “I just need a little break and I’ll be fine.”

“Alright. You guys rest up here while I go talk to Eris. Blaze, can I have the Cryptoglyph?”

“Sure.” Blaze grinned as Firefly appeared and floated over to Rae, materialising the Cryptoglyph in her hands. “Thanks, Firefly. How are you feeling?”

“Still a little funny, but I’ll be fine.” Firefly chirped. “Good.” Rae smiled, “I’ll be back soon.”

“Take your time.” Marcia called as Rae left, Nox summoning her Sparrow as she sat down on the ground and leaned back against it. As she approached Eris, Rae now saw four Phantoms around Eris. The fact Rae wasn’t all that surprised as seeing new Phantoms pop up almost disturbed her more than the actual Phantoms. She shook the feeling off as she approached Eris, who was glaring at the Phantoms. “I. Don’t. Care.” Eris grunted as she turned to face Rae, “You reek of the Hellmouth.”

“That or it’s just me. Haven’t had a shower since we got here.” Rae joked. “You spend too much time around Cayde and Blaisel.” Eris sighed, “Regardless, that armour will prove useful in the battles to come – but the Pyramid demands greater power to enter it. Three further pieces of armour – three more Nightmares. These diseases torture the Moon with their very presence. Send them back to the past where they belong, and in return they shall provide us with power. You and your Fireteam-”

“Will be doing nothing for the moment.” Rae interrupted, “The others are exhausted from the past missions. Hell, Marcia can barely move. I'll be going out to do some scouting to see if we can get a lead on where the Nightmares are.”

“If you insist. But be careful out there.” Eris warned, “And Raegalia?”

“Yes?”

“I’m serious. Your jokes are becoming worse than Cayde’s.”

Rae gasped dramatically, “Eris! First I’m called a fool and now this? I’m so insulted!” It was faint, but Rae swore she saw Eris’s lips twitch upwards slightly before shaking her head and turning back to her books. Rae smiled to herself as she set off to hunt down some Nightmares, reassured that her friends were safe and would be well rested for whatever may come.

_To Be Continued…_


	6. Hus Ra She, Fight Without Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marcia isn’t too keen on Rae going off to hunt Nightmares by herself, so she calls in a favour to help her out.

“And you let her?!”

Marcia was glaring daggers at Eris from where she was sitting against her Sparrow. “It was her choice.” Eris replied simply, “She refused to let you push yourselves any further. She was afraid you’d collapse from fatigue.”

Marcia growled to herself before a look of realisation crossed her face, “Nox, I need you to make a call.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Nox replied, appearing beside Marcia. “What are you up to?” Blaze asked, shooting the rogue a suspicious glance. “Just callin’ in a favour.” Marcia replied after muttering the contact’s name to Nox, making it that nobody else could hear the conversation. “Hello? …Yeah, it’s me…No problem! How’s it holding up for ya? …Great! Listen, I need a favour. Are you able to get to the Moon by any chance? …Brilliant! Remember Rae? …That’s her. She’s gone off on her own to take on some bad guys. It’s not that I don’t trust her, but I feel like she needs some back up. I’d go myself, but I’m a little beat up right now…Really? You’re awesome! Give everyone my thanks! …Will do! See ya soon!”

“Who’d you call?” Adam asked. “You’ll see.” Marcia grinned.

* * *

_Sometime later…_

“Damn it!!”

Rae exclaimed as she was sent flying into a rock by a Nightmare Ogre. “Ugh…why wasn’t it a Nightmare Dreg or something…?” Rae groaned. But her pained expression shifted to one of terror when she saw the Ogre charging straight at her.

“Da dis, sher ha!!!”

A loud yell was heard from behind Rae as she saw a figure leap over her and grapple onto the Nightmare Ogre with a blade. Rae recognised the armour almost immediately, “Tif?!”

“Hi, friend!” Tif greeted cheerfully as they hoisted themself on top of the Ogre and stabbed their Shock Blade into its head. The Ogre roared in pain as it began to thrash around in an attempt to shake off the Titan. “W-whoa!” Tif exclaimed as they held onto the blade tightly, riding the Nightmare like it was some sort of Hive rodeo, before calling out, “Dra da do go ne! Hus e sher ha!”

As soon as the command left their mouth, a number of Dregs and Vandals emerged from behind the rocks and began attacking the Nightmare. Rae quickly got to her feet and began to help the Fallen take down the Nightmare. “Stand back!” Rae yelled as she prepared a Solar Grenade. “Dra des!” Tif repeated to the Fallen as they jumped of the Ogre. Rae lobbed the Solar Grenade right at the Ogre’s head. It let out a hideous roar before finally slumping to the ground as the Fallen cheered. “Nice shot!” Tif grinned as they removed their helmet and gave Rae a playful slap on the back. “Thanks.” Rae smiled, “Can you tell your group they did great too? You guys really saved my butt there.” Tif turned to the Dregs and Vandals behind them, “Bo hur kin ma ra she! Hus den, Bo Light!” The Dregs and Vandals held up their weapons in a cheer. “What are you guys doing here anyway?” Rae asked, “I thought you mainly stuck to the EDZ?”

“Marcia called me saying you might need back up since the others aren’t fit for fighting.” Tif explained, “So I asked Misraaks and he gave my squadron and I permission to take a Skiff here and help out.”

“Man…” Rae chuckled, “I really owe Marcia big time now…”

“What are these things anyway?” Tif asked, poking the Nightmare’s dead body with their blade, “It doesn’t look like a regular Hive.”

“Nightmares.” Rae exclaimed, “Creatures created by the Darkness from pure fear. There’s a Pyramid below the surface that’s causing them to appear here.”

“Yikes…” Tif grimaced as they took a few steps back, “Why are you fighting these things if they’re that dangerous?”

“We need their power to enter the Pyramid and find out what exactly it is. Right now, Ghost and I are doing recon.” Rae replied as Ghost appeared and began scanning the Nightmare, “I’ve already taken out a Nightmare Legionary and now this one’s down, so I just need one more and we’re done.”

“Well, you have the House of Light as back up!” Tif grinned, “So it should be easy, right?”

“Thanks, Tif!”

“No problem! Now let’s go hunt a Nightmare!”

* * *

Rae skimmed across the Moon’s surface on her Sparrow while Tif and the Fallen followed close by on their Pikes as the two Guardians made small talk, “So how’s Mithrax and the rest of the Eliksni doing since you got the reactor?” Rae asked.

“Great! Mithrax is growing back to his full height again and the rest of the House are stronger than ever!” Tif replied.

“Wait. Growing?”

“Well, have you ever seen a Kell before?”

“Yeah?”

“Well, since we were lacking Ether, Misraaks was stuck in his Captain size. So once we got the reactor set up, he began to grow back to the height of a Kell.”

“Whoa…” Rae gasped in awe, remembering how tall Skolas was when she, Blaze and Adam aided Petra and Variks in taking down the House of Wolves. “Yup!” Tif grinned, “Sadly since I’m not Eliksni, I won’t get to grow to Captain size. But I was able to make some modifications to Berhane’s shell so he can convert Ether to make it non-poisonous for me and to give me an arc shield and I can even teleport, just not as often as most Captains.”

“That’s cool!” Rae replied, “That reminds me, when Ghost and I first met Mithrax, he was a Captain from House Dusk. What happened between then and now?”

“Well…I don’t know much about Misraaks before he became Kell of House Light. He doesn’t like to talk about his life in House Dusk. But he told me he once met an Awoken woman who befriended him when he was a Vandal in House Wolves and formed an alliance with her. After he joined House Dusk, he wanted to form an alliance with humanity but was constantly brushed off and he eventually gave up until something convinced him otherwise.”

“What?” Rae asked.

“You, silly!”

“M-me?!”

“Yup!” Tif nodded, “When you showed Misraaks mercy, it reminded him of that woman, and he began to believe that Eliksni and humanity really could work together. So he defected from House Dusk and formed House Light with the Dregs and Vandals that followed him. He wants to unite all Eliksni under one Banner.”

“So…he wants to become a…Kell of Kells?”

“You could say that. But not like Skolas. Skolas wanted to make House Wolves superior to all other races while Misraaks wants humanity and Eliksni to live in peace under the Traveller. Not long after he formed the House, he found me being attacked by Hive and saved my life. In return for saving my life, I offered to join his house. And the rest is history! Since I was stronger than any Vandal or Dreg in his house, he made a Captain straight away, earning me the name ‘Small Captain’. I’ve been his right hand ever since.”

“Well, we definitely owe you all big time for this. So if you ever need the Tower’s help, just let me know.”

“You got it!”

A Vandal pulled up beside Tif and spoke to them in Eliksni, causing them to hold their hand up to stop the rest of the Fallen. “What’s up?” Rae asked, stopping as well. “Skaklen says he spotted something while scouting ahead.” Tif replied, hopping off their Pike and putting their helmet on. They motioned to Rae to follow them as they climbed up a nearby ridge of rocks beside a crater. The two Guardians poked their heads above the ridge where they saw a Nightmare Wizard along with other Nightmare Hive inside the Crater. “Is that one of those Nightmares?” Tif whispered. “Yep.” Rae replied, “You ready?”

“Always.” Tif replied confidently as Rae saw the familiar shield of a Captain form around the Titan. “Alright. Let’s go!” Rae yelled as she leapt over the ridge and glided down into the crater while firing her auto-rifle as Tif yelled to their squadron, “Hus ra she! Shes dres!” as they followed Rae into the crater with the Fallen not far behind.

* * *

Marcia paced back and forth in the Sanctuary as Adam looked over his metal arm and Blaze made little flames appear on her fingertips. Marcia looked up at the sound of several engines coming towards her, seeing multiple Pikes and a Sparrow heading their way. Adam and Blaze went for their guns but relaxed upon seeing Rae’s Sparrow and recognising Tif’s armour. “Heyo, the champ returns!” Marcia laughed, “You like the surprise I sent ya?”

“You bet!” Rae smiled as she got off her Sparrow, Tif also getting off their Pike, “Hello again, friends!”

“You called Tif and the House of Light?” Blaze asked, a surprised look on her face. “Nicely done.” Adam added. “Figured you’d be lost without us, so I asked the House of Light to give some back up!” Marcia explained. “Just as well. Those Nightmares were pretty scary!” Tif added. “Thanks again, Tif.” Rae thanked, “We owe you.”

“No problem!” Tif grinned, “Come visit the Ketch sometime!” Tif waved as they got back on their Pike and sped off towards their Skiff with the rest of their squad. “By the way, Ikora stopped by.” Blaze spoke up as she motioned to a green portal nearby, “She wants to talk to you and Eris.”

“Ikora’s here?” Rae muttered before heading towards the portal, “I’ll be back in a sec.”

* * *

Rae approached the ledge looking over the Pyramid where she saw Ikora standing there, looking at it. “I had to see it with my own eyes…” Ikora spoke as she heard Rae approach, “How long has it sat in silence? Watching us?”

“Much too long.”

Ikora and Rae turned to see Eris approaching them, now five Phantoms in tow. “I can’t help but feel responsible for this, Eris.” Ikora began, “If I hadn’t sent you here-”

“Your concern is noted, but my fate is my own responsibility.” Eris interrupted, “And we both know you didn’t come here to apologise.”

“I came to tell you…you were right.” Ikora admitted, “It seems those responsible for our Collapse…are coming back.” The Phantoms began to surround and close in on Eris, their whispers getting louder and louder. **“QUIET!”** Eris yelled, causing the Phantoms to quickly back off. Rae jumped in fear, never hearing Eris raise her voice before. Even Ikora seemed caught off guard. “You’re all insufferable! Save your torment for someone who gives a damn!” Eris growled, slightly out of breath. Ikora and Rae shot each other a concerned glance before Ikora spoke up, “Eris. The Vanguard is at your disposal.”

“Then if you’ll excuse us, Ikora…” Eris spoke as she turned to leave, “We have work to do.” Rae went to follow but Ikora stopped her, “Rae. Whatever she needs.” Rae gave an understanding nod, “You can count on us, Ikora. I promise.”

_To Be Continued…_


	7. Solo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fireteam Eklipsys is back to full strength and are ready to hunt some Nightmares! With Blaze being able to lay a beat-down on the Nightmare of Skolas, they move on to their next target: Nightmare Taniks. But something seems off with Marcia as her usual laid-back nature quickly turns serious and cold at the mention of Taniks.

_“We are all consumed by that which eats away at us. For Skolas, it was his own hubris. He pursued complete control over all Houses of the Fallen, and through his misguided conquest, many perished. Skolas’s memory serves as a permanent reminder of all the lives lost at the whim of a single Kell. No matter how hard Pyramid may try, we will not cower.”_

“So this has become an official Vanguard mission, then?” Marcia asked as she followed the rest of her Fireteam through an abandoned Ketch. “Yep! Who’s a snitch now?” Rae smirked. “Hardy har.” Marcia rolled her eyes playfully, “My question is why we’re going after the Nightmare of this Skolas guy.”

“The Nightmares I hunted weren’t enough. We need to track down stronger ones.”

“This’ll be fun though!” Blaze smirked, “I get to roast the face off that guy again, and actually kill him this time instead of letting Mara throw him in prison.”

“You mean Awoken Queen Mara?” Marcia asked.

“You know her?”

“Ugh, I know of her. And lucky for her, we’ve haven’t had the ‘pleasure’ of meeting. No offense, but she’s more like a queen-wannabe. At least I ruled fairly when I was Queen. Was the Umbrialyx an official Kingdom? Nope. Was I still a good queen? Hell yeah! A queen should work with her people, not act all high and mighty and like she’s better than any living thing in the damn universe. If I ever had a chance to meet her, I’d give her a piece of my mind!”

“Trust me, no offense taken.” Blaze replied, “I honestly don’t know how to feel about her anymore.”

“Don’t beat yourself up about it too much.” Marcia gave Blaze a playful punch in the shoulder, “But if she ever does anything to hurt you guys in anyway, let’s just say I’ll be sending a large blocker to the enemy’s side!”

“Please don’t.” Rae begged with a nervous smile, “I feel like she already wants to kill me for everything that’s happened.”

“No promises.” Marcia grinned.

“Rae, I’m detecting enemies up ahead. I think it’s the Skolas Nightmare.” Ghost piped up. “Aw yeah!” Blaze cheered with a cocky grin, “I’ve been wanting to do this for over 4 years! Let’s make some fireworks!!!” Blaze went rushing past her fellow Guardians, Golden Gun already blazing. Rae sighed, “You’d think she’d have matured a little over 5 years, but…”

“Well at least it’ll be a quick fight!” Marcia grinned, “C’mon!”

Rae, Adam and Marcia ran into a room up ahead where they saw Blaze whooping as she dashed around the Skolas Nightmare, firing her signature sidearm at it. “Haha!” Blaze laughed, “Come get me, Kell of Nothing!”

“Should…should we help out?” Adam asked. “Y’know what? I think she’s got it.” Marcia replied, “Should we focus on the smaller Nightmares while she takes care of that?”

“Sure.” Rae shrugged, “Let Blaze have her moment.”

* * *

“Whoo! Now that was fun!” Blaze grinned as she watched the body of Nightmare Skolas disappear, putting out some flames that still lingered on her arm. “That’s ironic; she was fighting a Nightmare, but it was a dream for her!” Marcia laughed as Rae turned to Blaze, “Sorry to interrupt your moment, but Eris wants us back at Sanctuary.” Blaze just shuffled by Rae, doing a little happy dance as she went, before moonwalking out of the room. Rae just shook her head with a smile as Marcia laughed, “Working with you guys is a riot!”

“Oh, you don’t know the half of it.” Adam chuckled as the three Guardians followed Blaze out of the Ketch. “So who’s next? My adrenaline’s pumping now!” Blaze asked, jumping up and down a bit. “The Nightmare of Taniks.” Rae replied. “That breaks the pattern then.” Adam noted, “Skolas was one of Blaze’s since she was the one leading the House of Wolves mission. But none of us had any real grudge or relation to Taniks.”

“Actually…it doesn’t.” Marcia corrected. Rae noticed Marcia’s expression had darkened, her pupils had become slit-like, and her voice was a little colder, “Taniks is mine. You leave him to me.”

Marcia walked ahead of the group, leaving Rae confused, “I don’t get it. Taniks is Marcia’s Nightmare?”

“I think I do.” Blaze sighed, “Have you heard of Andal Brask?”

“Of course. He was the Hunter Vanguard before Cayde.”

“Well from what Marcia told me once, despite not being affiliated with the Tower, she used to work with Andal on a few missions. She felt that he was one of the few Guardians she could fully trust. In fact, she saw him somewhat as an older-brother-figure. She even considered affiliating with the Tower because if him. However, he was killed by Taniks, which lead to Cayde taking the role as Hunter Vanguard. When Marcia found out, she was ready to send all of her rogues after Taniks, but when she found out that Taniks’s body had been taken away by his crew, she decided against it, but swore she’d take any chance she was given to make him pay. After that, she cut off all ties with the Tower.”

“So that’s why Taniks is her Nightmare; why she wants to take it on alone.”

“Seems that way. She told me this after a Gambit match when I asked how she knew Cayde when we saw her on Mars a while back.”

“That makes sense.” Rae muttered, “Either way, we have to back her up. I still owe her for saving me back in the Hellmouth.” Blaze nodded as the three Guardians ran to catch up with Marcia.

* * *

_“Years ago, Taniks tore the Vanguard apart over a mere bounty. Andal Brask was murdered in cold blood, and the Hunter Vanguard was left without a leader. Taniks would ultimately die for this on the orders of Cayde-6. But the scars he left among all Guardians would never fully heal. Once again, the Pyramid takes advantage of our collective pain. We will not succumb.”_

Fireteam Paralight made their way through the Temple of Crota in search of the Taniks Nightmare, Marcia being uncharacteristically silent with a determined and rage-filled look upon her face. “I don’t like that look.” Rae muttered to Adam, “It kinda scares me.”

“Believe it or not, I’ve seen that look before.” Adam replied, “Just on someone else.”

“Who?”

“A certain someone who was also out to avenge a Hunter Vanguard.”

Rae’s eyes widened slightly as she glanced at Marcia once more. Did she really look like that?

“There were moments I was afraid you were going to go on a full-blown rampage.” Adam continued, “I think the only thing that prevented you from doing so was the promise you made to Ikora and Zavala that you’d come back alive, and you losing yourself would put that promise in danger.”

“I’m…sorry if I scared you.” Rae apologised. “You? Scare me?” Adam chuckled, “Don’t have to worry about that. Don’t forget who was the one responsible for that Servitor Rodeo back in the Cosmodrome with Sepiks Prime.”

“I still haven’t forgiven you for that.”

“Worth it.”

“There’s the Nightmare of Taniks.” Ghost called out as Fireteam Paralight entered a room in the Temple of Crota where the familiar red mist of a Nightmare was seen across the way, “Let’s take it-” Ghost was cut off as Marcia went charging past the Guardians, her teeth clenched with rage in her eyes. She threw a smoke bomb in front of her, vanishing as she passed through and dipped between the oncoming Nightmare Shanks as she got to the Taniks Nightmare. “You’re mine!!” she growled as she reappeared in front of him, wielding a sword and lunging for the Nightmare. “Is she nuts?!” Rae exclaimed as she whipped out her auto-rifle and began shooting at the Nightmare Shanks. “Considering she spend most of her time with Drifter?” Blaze began as she followed suit with her sidearm, “More than likely!”

“Focus on the Shanks first.” Adam called out, “If she wants to take on Taniks solo, let her.”

As Marcia was locked in combat with the Taniks Nightmare, Rae glided into the air and lobbed a Solar Grenade into a group of Nightmare Shanks before landing on a ledge and finished them off with her sniper rifle. Blaze dashed past Rae and threw an Incendiary Blade at a Vandal, catching it on fire and causing it to angrily charge towards her.

***BOOM!***

The Vandal exploded as it ran straight into the line of one of Blaze’s trip-mine grenades. “Trip-mines.” Blaze smirked, “I’m really starting to see why the Eliksni like these so much!”

“Watch your six!”

Blaze turned around just in time to see Adam shoulder charge into a Dreg before casting Sentinel Shield and tossing it into a small group of Shanks, taking them out. “Thanks pal!” Blaze grinned as she took out her grenade launcher and lobbed a few grenades at the remaining Vandals.

Meanwhile, Marcia continued to take on the Taniks Nightmare, skilfully switching between her sword and her handcannon, Trust. She had Taniks on the ropes until he swung at her, knocking the sword out of her hands. As she went for her Trust, he swung at her again, using his scorch cannon, and hit her in the side, causing her to fall off the ledge they were standing on but was able to grab onto the ledge just in time. Marcia went to pull herself up but was met with the barrel of a scorch cannon aimed right at her. Marcia squeezed her eyes shut and she braced for the incoming pain.

...

Marcia opened her eyes in time to see the scorch cannon go tumbling past her into the pit before looking up to see the blade of her sword protruding out of the Nightmare’s torso. She watched as the Nightmare faded away to reveal an out-of-breath Rae holding the hilt of the sword. Rae quickly dropped the sword to the ground and rushed to the ledge, helping Marcia back up. “Thanks.” Marcia breathed. “Hey…” Rae sighed, relief in her voice, “We’re even now, at least.”

“True, true…” Marcia exhaled heavily, “Yeah…in hindsight, maybe taking on the Nightmare of a 12-foot Captain armed with a scorch cannon…wasn’t a good idea.”

“Rage makes you do crazy things.” Blaze spoke as she walked up to the two, “Trust me, I know. I burned the face off a Scorn Baron because of it and it wasn’t pretty either.”

“Well…” Marcia glanced at where Nightmare Taniks once stood, “At least I got to avenge Andal, one way or another.”

“On the bright side,” Rae began, “The last Nightmare shouldn’t be too difficult to deal with! Right, Ghost?”

“About that…” Ghost began, “Our next destination is the Hellmouth.”

The tired and fed-up groans of four Guardians was heard all the way in the Tangled Shore.

_To Be Continued…_


	8. Salvation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After finally defeating the nightmare of Phogoth, Fireteam Paralight must now enter the Pyramid, face their Nightmares and discover the secrets of the Darkness.

“Ogres are a pain in the backside. Phogoth was an even bigger pain when we fought him the first time. But a Nightmare Phogoth?! That’s crossing the line!” Blaze grumbled as Fireteam Paralight gilded across the Moon's surface on their Sparrows, “Please tell me that’s the last Nightmare.”  
“Yep. Let’s head back to the Sanctuary to regroup and check in with Eris. We need to make sure we’re prepared for whatever we find inside that Pyramid.” Rae replied as they pulled up outside Sanctuary, “I’ll be back in a sec.”

"Take your time. I could use a break." Marcia replied leaning against a rock as Rae walked up to Eris.  
“Eris, we’re back.” Rae called out. She looked up and saw the Phantoms of Eris’s old Fireteam watching her walk by. Rae just glared at them right back, “I’ve been fighting literal Nightmares from my past. You really think I’m still gonna be freaked out by you guys?” The Phantoms just turned back to Eris. “Thought so.” Rae gave a single nod before walking up to Eris. “Of all the things that haunt me, hesitation is not one of them.” Eris began, “Our world collapsed in pain and agony under the weight of these pyramids. What lies within? More of the same? It doesn’t matter. We must know. The unknown can act as a siren that draws us in…and swallow us whole. Please…do not let you or your Fireteam be consumed.”  
“I won’t.” Rae reassured, “You have my word as a Vanguard…and a friend.”  
“Thank you…” Eris nodded.  
  
Rae approached Adam, Rae and Marcia, who were waiting on their Sparrows. “This is it.” Rae announced, “Everyone ready for this?”  
“Ready.” Adam nodded. “Hell yeah!” Marcia smirked. “We’re right behind ya, Rae.” Blaze smiled confidently. “Alright. Paralight, let’s move out!”  
  


* * *

  
Fireteam Paralight, staying close together, carefully made their way deep inside the Scarlet Keep once more.  
“It’s happening again.” Ghost muttered, “Like it’s reaching inside me. The Pyramid is **waiting.** ”  
“Hang in there, bud.” Rae reassured, “It’ll be over soon. I promise.”  
The Fireteam approached where Rae, Blaze and Adam first encountered the Nightmares of Ghaul, Crota and Fikrul, clearing whatever Hive lingered. “Okay…” Rae sighed nervously, “Moment of truth. Let’s press onwards. I’ll go first to test it.” Rae walked to the ledge where they were stopped the first time and successfully glided down onto the next ledge. “It works!” Rae called, “Come on down!”  
“It b **eck** ons **us t** o co **me c** los **er.** ” Ghost spoke, but his tone seemed…different. “Ghost? You alright buddy?” Rae asked. “Everything alright?” Marcia asked as she, Blaze and Adam landed behind her. “I think the Pyramid’s trying to mess with Ghost. Let’s get this over with quickly.” Rae motioned for her team to follow as they descended down the ledges until…  
“W-Wha-?!”  
“What the-?!”  
“Okay, this is happening!”  
“Whoa!!”  
All four Guardians felt themselves being lifted into the air and were pulled towards a light on the Pyramid as Ghost began to speak in their Guardians heads, **“Violence. Beauty. Truth. These things await inside. There’s no turning back now.”**  
Paralight were dragged through a small entrance into the Pyramid and landed on a jet-black walkway with only a few dim lights illuminating the room.

**“Welcome. We’ve been waiting.”**

Rae gazed around at the dark interior of the Pyramid, unnerved by the eerie silence. The fact that it seemed to be talking through Ghost didn’t help. “Hey.” Marcia spoke up, breaking the silence – a hint of nervousness in her voice, “Y’know how some people say that scary things like haunted houses and horror movies are easier to deal with when you’re with other people? I don’t think that applies to this situation.”  
“Well…” Rae began, swallowing her fear, “Together is all we have right now. Stay close, and don’t let whatever’s in here get to your head.” The Fireteam, staying close together and keeping their guards up, began making their way through the Pyramid. **“You’re so close now.”** The distorted voice of Ghost spoke, **“Just a little further.”**  
“Who are you?” Rae asked as they continued further, “I know you’re not my Ghost.”  
No reply.  
“Not much of a talker, I guess.” Rae muttered. “Well at least that means Adam has something in common with this place!” Blaze joked, trying to break the tension among the four Lightbearers. “Hardy-har.” Adam rolled his eyes playfully as they turned a corner.  
“Uh oh…”  
Rae got her auto-rifle at the ready as she saw a red, misty figure down the hall. “Is that…?” Blaze began. “Yup.” Rae sighed, “Ghaul.” As the Fireteam approached the figure, there was a burst of light as the room around them changed to the top of the ship where Rae fought the Red Legion Emperor and Ghaul appeared before them, leaping into the air and throwing flaming blades at the Guardians. “Ok, who made Ghaul a Dawnblade?!” Blaze yelled as she began to fire her sidearm at Ghaul. “Now’s not the time for jokes!” Marcia fired a few rounds with her Trust before growling in annoyance, “Urgh! I’m barely doing anything to him!”  
“Same!” Blaze called out as she switched to her grenade launcher, “Was he this tough when you fought him, Rae?”  
“What are you talking about?” Rae called over the gunfire as she fired her rifle at the Ghaul Nightmare, “I’m not having any trouble over here!”  
“Wait…that’s it!” Adam exclaimed, “Remember what I said before? How these three Nightmares are linked to us? Rae’s doing more damage to it because this is HER Nightmare! She’s the one who defeated Ghaul the first time!”  
“Well if that’s the case…” Rae began, casting her Dawnblade, “Let’s dance!”  
  


* * *

  
Rae gave an exhausted sigh as she glided to the ground as Ghaul fell and her Dawnblade ran out. Another flash of light appeared, and the room reverted to normal. **“The Red War saw so many lives lost.”** The voice spoke, **“Saw the Light taken away so easily. In Light, there is only weakness.”**  
“Is that so?” Rae got to her feet, “Well, as someone who survived over a month without Light and was able to fight off Eliksni and Cabal during that time and also saw hundreds of Lightless Guardians storm and take back the Tower, I can clearly say that’s a load of bull. Light or not, I’m not weak. None of us are.”  
“Besides, you’re the one hiding in a Guardian’s Ghost rather than facing us yourself.” Blaze added. “Let’s keep moving.” Marcia spoke up, keeping her Trust at the ready, “We still have two more Nightmares to face.”  
  
Fireteam Eklipsys made their way through another corridor until they approached a room where another Nightmare awaited. “Oh…it’s you.” Blaze growled as she recognised the Nightmare as Fikrul. “Blaze…” Rae began, “Don’t lose it.”  
“No promises.” Blaze growled through bared teeth as she charged at the Nightmare, her body immediately erupting into flames as she dodged blasts of lightning from the Scorn Baron. “We…we might wanna stay out of this one…” Rae suggested as the three Lightbearers watched the room change and Blaze landing blow after flaming blow at the Fikrul Nightmare. “Now that I think about it,” Adam began, “I think Marcia was more like Blaze when she was fighting Taniks Nightmare…”  
“I want to argue with that…” Marcia ducked under a stay fireball, “But you’re not wrong…”  
The trio watched the flaming Hunter lunged up and grabbed Fikrul’s helmet with one hand and, with the other, proceeded to punch him in the face with a flaming fist over and over again until the Nightmare finally fell and disappeared as the room returned to normal. Blaze landed on her feet, stumbling a bit, as the flames around her flickered out, leaving her panting heavily as the rage slowly subsided.  
 **“The Light abandoned Cayde.”** The voice spoke again, **“Left him for dead. And kept him from being saved.”**  
Blaze felt her body heat up again as she was ready to snap at the voice. But she instead too a deep breath before speaking, “I think you got your facts mixed up there, buddy. The Scorn took Cayde’s Light away. Uldren…” Blaze paused, swallowing a lump in her throat before continuing, “Uldren left Cayde for dead. And Rae saved him, giving up something deemed sacred by her tribe to do so.” Blaze smirked, “So maybe do a lil’ research before you go trying to mess with people’s heads, yeah?”  
“Atta girl.” Rae muttered as she smiled proudly at the Gunslinger Awoken. Blaze turned to her Fireteam, “Well? Let’s not just stand around in Creepytown! We still have one more Nightmare to face! Ready, Adam?”  
Adam took a deep breath before nodding with a smile, “We took down Crota and his dad. We can take down a cheap copy.”  
“That’s the spirit!” Marcia gave Adam a playful punch in the shoulder before immediately shaking her hand in pain, “Agh! Geez, what’s that armour made of?”  
“It’s Reef armour. Petra said it’s the strongest material they had, and I trust her.” Adam replied as the four Guardians continued forward. “Petra…Petra…oh yeah! Your girlfriend, right? Blaze told me ‘bout her. She seems like a right badass!”  
Adam’s face went red as he shot a glare at Blaze who just shrugged with a cheeky smirk.  
  
“Head’s up.”  
Marcia motioned forward as they arrived in a corridor. The Nightmare of Crota waited at the end of it. Adam took a deep breath through the nose before beginning to walk down the hallway. “Okay, Crota.” Adam spoke as he approached the Nightmare, “Let’s see if this Pyramid’s made you any stronger.”  
There was a bright light as the room changed once more. Crota stood at the other end of the room as a Nightmare Knight came charging at Adam. The Sentinel Titan struck it down fairly easily and noticed it had dropped its sword. He glanced at Crota and noticed that Crota was holding his own sword. “A swordfight, eh? Alright then.” Adam holstered his pulse rifle and picked up the sword with both hands before running straight at Crota. The rest of Fireteam Eklipsys watched in awe as Adam locked blades with the Nightmare. Crota went to swing down at Adam, but the Titan slid under his legs and leapt up, slicing at the Nightmare’s back. Crota roared out in pain before swinging around and using the flat side of his sword to knock Adam against the wall. Adam grunted in pain before seeing Crota swing his blade again. He barely managed to duck under the huge sword, which got stuck in the wall. As Crota struggled to pull the blade free, Adam used this opportunity to slash at Crota’s legs with the sword. He struck them over and over again until Crota finally fell to his knees. Seeing his chance, Adam grabbed the hilt of his sword tightly and, with all his strength, swung it down on Crota, dealing the last blow he needed for the Nightmare to fade away. Adam sighed as the room turned back into the corridor they’d entered.  
“Okay.” Marcia began, “That was pretty badass.”  
“That’s Adam for ya.” Rae grinned.  
 **“One by one, Crota slaughtered many Guardians. The Light stood by and did nothing. And a great disaster ensued.”** The voice spoke up again, **“In Light, there is only death.”**  
“Well, forgive me if I’m being presumptuous,” Adam began as he watched the sword in his hand disappear, “But I don’t recall the Darkness doing much in helping Crota, Oryx, the Barons, or any other creature of Darkness when us Guardians struck them down. If that’s the case…it seems the Darkness isn’t much better, is it?”  
“Damn!” Blaze exclaimed, “Either I’m going crazy or Adam just roasted someone! The Darkness no less!”  
“I doubt it was that good of a roast.” Adam scratched the back of his neck sheepishly.  
  
“So that was all three.” Marcia began as the four Guardians left the hallway, “Now what?”  
 **“Respite lies ahead.”** The voice spoke as the Fireteam approached a stairway surrounded by Phantoms. As they approached the top of the stairs, a strange glowing object descended from the ceiling. “What is that?” Blaze asked. “Dunno.” Marcia grunted as she held her arm, “But my Darkness is reacting to it. Be careful.”  
Rae reached out to touch the object and, in the blink of an eye, she wasn’t in the Pyramid anymore. She was in a familiar landscape filled with white and red flowers with rocky formations laid out before her. “The Black Garden..?” Rae muttered before looking either side of her. Marcia, Blaze and Adam were gone. “Huh? Blaze? Adam? Marcia?” Rae called out, “Where’d you go?”  
 **“You made it.”**  
Rae spun around to see a figure standing several feet away with several pyramids floating in the air high above them, **“We have heard your cries for help. And soon we will answer.”**  
Rae glared at the figure with unease – its voice sounded familiar. It was…her voice?  
“Who are you?” Rae asked. The figure approached Rae and motioned to itself, **“Don’t you recognise us?”**  
Upon being able to see the figure properly, Rae could see that it was none other than herself – down to the last detail. But it wore a more sinister expression on its face. **“We are not your friend.”** It began, **“We are not your enemy. We are your…  
  
 _Salvation.”_**  
  
“Rae? Hello? Moon to Rae?”  
In the blink of an eye, Rae was back on the Moon. But this time, she was outside of Eris’s Sanctuary. “You okay?” Blaze asked, “You spaced out there for a sec.”  
“W..what…?”  
“Rae!”  
Ghost appeared in front of Rae, “I’m so sorry! Blaze told me everything. I don’t know what came over me. I’m…I didn’t…”  
“Hey, hey! It’s okay.” Rae smiled as she patted Ghost, “I’m just glad to have my Little Light back.”  
“I’m glad to be back.” Ghost nuzzled Rae’s cheek.  
“What…happened?” Rae glanced around confused. “You picked up the artefact and we were teleported back here.” Adam explained, “We tried to get your attention, but you were in some sort of trance.”  
“What happened to you, anyways?” Marcia asked. “It was weird…” Rae began, “I was in the Black Garden and there were loads of those pyramids flying above me. And I saw me…but it wasn’t me. It was like the Darkness was talking to me through a clone or something. It was saying that it was our salvation or something.”  
“They are _not_ our salvation…”  
Everyone spun around to see Eris approaching them, the Phantoms of her team in tow, “They’re our destruction. This has been a manipulation from the very start. They know we’re here. They know what we’ve found. The artefact you recovered may be tainted. After all, they wanted us to have it. But a treasure such as this is far too valuable to destroy. I must stay and study it with the utmost care.” Eris turned to Rae, “Whatever I discover, you will be the first to know.”  
“Much obliged, Eris.” Rae replied, handing the artefact to her. “In the meantime,” Eris began as she took the artefact from Rae, “The Nightmares continue to plague parts of our galaxy, leaving only suffering in their wake. If we ignore them, they fester and spread. How long before they reach the Last City? How long before our friends become infected with the same torment? We will not let this come to pass. These Nightmares must be kept at bay. Whatever it takes.”  
“I’ll send a message out to all Fireteams and let them know of the danger.” Rae reassured. “I’ll let Petra know too.” Adam asked, “It’s bad enough the Scorn and Taken are plaguing the Dreaming City, we don’t need these Nightmares causing trouble too.”  
“Thank you.” Eris nodded before returning to her post. “Well!” Marcia spoke up, “I don’t know about you three, but I’ve had enough of the Moon for one lifetime. Imma head back to the Tower. See ya at Gambit, Blaze!”  
As Marcia turned to leave, Rae called out to her, “Hey, Marcia!”  
“Hm?”  
“Thanks. I mean it.”  
Marcia smiled, “Hey, you may be a snitch, but you got a good heart. There ain’t enough people like that anymore. So don’t go dyin’.”  
Rae watched as Marcia’s ship flew over head and the Hunter transmatted onto it before soaring off back towards Earth. “We better head back too.” Rae began, “I have a LOT to report to the others.”  
  


* * *

  
“Whoo! Ramen time!”  
Cayde tucked into a bowl of ramen as the rest of Fireteam Paralight sat together in Spicy Ramen. “A promise is a promise.” Rae laughed as she began to eat her own bowl. “Ramen always tastes better when you’re not the one paying.” Blaze said with a mouth full of noodles.  
“Yep!”  
“You said it.”  
“Always!”  
Cayde and Fireteam Paralight slowly turned to their right. There was Marcia and the Drifter also eating Ramen. Marcia shot them a glance and gave them finger guns. “What are you doing here?!” Rae exclaimed. “Hey, I helped! Figured I should get in on the free ramen time!” Marcia shrugged.  
“Okay, so why’s Drifter here then?!”  
“I provided moral support from the Annex. You just couldn’t hear me, that’s all!” Drifter smirked. “Marcia, you know how much Drifter eats! I’ll be broke!”  
“Sounds like a you problem.”  
Rae just slumped in defeat, “Why…why do you do these things?”  
“’Cause it’s fun!” Marcia gave Rae an innocent smile.  
“Don’t worry, Sunrae. I got this.” Cayde whispered to Rae with a wink. He called over one of the waiters and whispered something to them. The waiter nodded and walked off. “What did you do?” Rae asked. “You’ll see. Just enjoy the food and let’s get dessert too!”

* * *

  
“Now that was a feast!” Cayde sighed as he finished the last of the dessert, “We better head back before Zavala has my head.”  
“But we didn’t-”  
Rae was cut off by Cayde hopping off the stool and whispering to the Fireteam, “Trust me on this. While I’m talkin’ to Marcia, you guys head off!” Cayde then walked over to Marcia giving her a hearty slap on the back as Fireteam Paralight rushed off, “I gotta say, Marcia! You payin’ for our stuff like that? That’s gotta be the most noble thing I’ve seen a Hunter do! Keep up the good work!” Cayde then began to follow Paralight back to the Tower. “Eh? I didn’t pay for-” Marcia then noticed the bill lying by the plates of food. Cayde had put their food under Marcia’s name instead of Rae.  
 **“CAYDE-6, YOU’RE A DEAD MAN!!!”** Rae head Marcia yell as she ran back to the Tower with Blaze, Adam, and a laughing Cayde. “Oh, man!” Cayde laughed, “I used to do that all the time back when Marcia would do missions with Andal, Shiro and I! She hated me for that!”  
“Usually, I wouldn’t encourage stuff like that…” Rae began before smiling, “But that was genius!”

Marcia let out an exasperated sigh before glancing down at her arm. She didn't find the answers she was looking for on the moon and, while that was frustrating to her, she refused to give up her research.

There's only one last place she hasn't searched yet.

_End of Shadowkeep._


End file.
